


Them

by spectaculaire



Category: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Minor Character(s), POV Minor Character, Romance, Shipping, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 20:06:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2594798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spectaculaire/pseuds/spectaculaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Percabeth drabbles/oneshots from the POVs of all the supporting characters. From Connor Stoll to Poseidon to Mrs. O'Leary, this story attempts to dedicate a chapter to every single PJO and HoO character. Feel free to request a character! I promise no OOC. Originally posted on FFN as "The Percabeth Club".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Silena Beauregard

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Percabeth Club](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/82310) by spectaculaire. 



_Set between The Titan's Curse and The Last Olympian_

Throughout the four years and counting that I've spent in camp, I always had three goals in mind:

1\. Make sure all cabins are neat. I am NOT a happy camper when I see dirty shorts lying around during cabin inspections.

2\. Pair up as many campers as possible. At least three quarters of Camp Half-Blood's couples are going strong because of me. Need evidence? Look at Clarisse and Chris. Adorable right? Yeah, because  _I_ practically got them together.

3\. Give Annabeth Chase a makeover.

Annabeth is well aware of the third goal. Everyone considers me as the epitome of an full-fledged Aphrodite kid because I just  _love_ making things look pretty.

Which I must say, is  _absolutely true._

However, I admit that I do have an ulterior motive. Indeed it  _is_ my sworn duty to beautify this world, but that's not why I constantly plead for Annabeth's permission to style those curly blonde locks of hers or accentuate her incredible grey eyes with the right smoky eyeshadow.

Actually, the main reason why I possess a strong desire to give Annabeth a makeover is a certain sweet, black haired, son of Poseidon.

Mealtimes, campfire sing-a-longs, awful monster battles - you name it. I always catch that Percy Jackson gazing longingly at Annabeth Chase. I can't blame the boy. If my best friend of the opposite gender had golden hair that shone in sunlight or a breathtaking smile, I'd be staring too.

And when he's not looking, I see Annabeth gazing at him too.

Sometimes I wonder what will happen if one day, Annabeth decided to put on some mascara or dress nicely. Oh my gods, that boy will not be able to take his eyes off her! He'll probably be thinking,  _Holy Poseidon! This girl I've totally been crushing on since I was twelve is a KNOCKOUT._ Then he'll profess his love to here and they'll skip off to the sunset and have beautiful demigod babies with magnificent ocean powers that will make them an extreme nuisance to nannies.

... Well maybe not, but a girl can dream, right?

Besides, it's common knowledge in camp that they have a  _connection._ Why else would Percy sneak out of camp last winter when Annabeth was abducted, risking his life and expulsion from his beloved camp? It's adorable - they have feelings for each other and they don't even know it! Thinking about their mutual unrequited love makes me want to squeal!

So that's why I want to give Annabeth Chase a makeover.

Everyone knows that a romance between them is inevitable. I just want to speed things up here.


	2. Connor Stoll

_Set during The Battle of the Labyrinth_

The game was over almost an hour ago and we  _still_  haven't found them.

Right after Quintus's scorpion-slaying competition, Clarisse LaRue was busy bragging about how she and Lee Fletcher annihilated their monsters and subsequently won the golden laurel leaves, blah blah blah, when Grover asked, "Hey, where's Percy and Annabeth?"

It quickly became apparent that Percy and Annabeth were missing, so we organized a search party. Unsurprisingly, all the campers were concerned about their well-being. There are plenty of nasty monsters in the woods and since Percy was a kid of the Big Three, he'd probably attract the nastiest of them. Percy and Annabeth are arguably the most important campers around. Frankly, camp would suck a lot without them.

We decided it would be safer to explore the forest in pairs or small groups. Of course, I partnered up with my brother Travis.

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked as we traipsed through the woods.

Travis was about to answer when he tripped on a tree root, falling flat on his face. He cursed profusely, causing alarmed dryads to retreat to their trees. Seriously, why do forests have to be such pains to walk through? Though whenever I complain about that to someone, they'd snicker and crack a totally unfunny joke about how "stealthy" us Hermes kids are.

Meanwhile, Travis brushed twigs off his shorts. "Knowing Percy and Annabeth, I bet they're alright. I'm sure they can handle any monster here as long as they stick together. They're probably off alone somewhere."

At that sentence, I smirked at the implications. "Heh, off  _alone_ somewhere."

Travis caught my expression and smirked back. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we caught them whispering sweet nothings in a cave."

I leaped onto a flat tree stump and held my hands up with an overdone flourish, as if I was serenading someone below their balcony. "' _Dearest Annabeth, thy radiant beauty surpasses all of the other chicks I hath seen in my life._ '"

Travis chortled. "Percy in Shakespeare-speak, now that's something I'd pay a good amount of drachmas to see. Too bad Percy and Annabeth are in denial _._ "

I mimicked Percy's New Yorker drawl, "'Dude, we're just friends. There's NOTHING between us'. Psshhh, right."

Travis snorted. "Yeah, who are they kidding. I bet if we ever ever start a drinking game about the amount of Percy/Annabeth moments there were in a week, we'd have ambrosia poisoning in no time."

"Yup. Burst into flames on the first day," I added.

Travis nodded gravely. "Our gravestones will read,  _Here lies the Stoll bros. Died from spontaneous, internal combustion_.  _Thanks Percabeth._ "

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon: The Aphrodite kids make up portmanteau names for all their favourite couples. Some of them, no matter how ridiculous they sound, are commonly used around camp.


	3. Ella the Harpy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the original version, this chapter was posted much later. However, I decided to make this Chapter 3 just as a slight warning of how I like to change up my narration styles every once in a while.

_Set during The Son of Neptune_

"Hazel! Frank! Wake up!"

Percy poked them. Hazel and Frank held hands. Eyes closed. Sharing. Ella removed dirty feather. Tasted like cinnamon. Cinnamon buns: 1 cup milk. 1/2 cup butter...

"Ella!" Percy looked at Ella. Ella spit out feather. "What happened to Hazel and Frank?" Green eyes. Wide. Anxious. Looked like baby seal. Also known as pinnipeds. Order Carnivora. Family Phocidae - true seals.

"Ella!" Percy repeated. Percy frowned. Oops. Ella got distracted.

"Hazel and Frank sharing," Ella told Percy.

"What do you mean they're sharing?" Percy confused. "They just passed out! What if they're possessed by Gaea or something?!"

"Don't worry," Ella assured. "Sharing is good. No more blackouts. Healthy."

"I don't understand," Percy protested.

"They're okay," Ella said. Ella returned to plucking. "Sharing. Show-and-tell. No more blackouts. New Zealand Internet Blackout. 2009. February 16 to 23."

Percy tilted head. Awed. Perplexed. "Wow, you really remember everything you read don't you?"

Ella preened. "Ella likes books. 'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'"

"Hey, that one sounds familiar!" Delighted. Then Percy sighed. Sad. "I wish I had a good memory. I barely remember what my life was like 8 months ago!"

"You drank gorgon's blood," Ella reminded. "Heals. Doesn't kill like the one Phineas drank. Will return memory."

"Yeah." Percy stared straight ahead. Eyes fixed at ocean. "I guess if I think about it, some things are coming back to me. They're a bit fuzzy though."

Ella asked. "Tell Ella?" Ella looked down. Shy.

Percy smiled. "Well, I'm starting to remember more about my girlfriend Annabeth."

Ella perked up. "Girlfriend?" Interesting. Percy loved someone? Ella liked books with love. Very fluffy. Like marshmallows.

"Annabeth must be pretty amazing if she's the only person I remember from my old life," Percy mused.

"Yes!" Ella beamed. "Ella likes romance."

"You do?" Percy sounded surprised, "Something tells me that harpies aren't usually like that."

"'Do you think, because I am poor, obscure and plain, I am soulless and heartless?'  _Jane Eyre._ Good book. Yes, Ella loves love." Ella stopped preening. "Tell more about Annabeth, please."

Percy sat down. Thinking hard. "As far as I can remember, Annabeth must be super smart. I think she always explained things whenever I got lost." Chuckling, he added, "Man, I must've annoyed her a lot."

"Annabeth. Super smart. Knows lots of info, like Ella?" Ella tilted her head. Curiously.

Percy laughed. "Almost. I think there were tons of times when Annabeth started spouting off random facts. Now that I look back on it, the facts mostly have to do with national monuments and architecture..."

"Architecture.  _Experiencing Architecture._  'There are problems which are best solved by using visual effects-'"

"Yeah, as I recall, she can go on and on about it," Percy said. Kind of quickly. He doesn't want Ella to talk about architecture?

Percy continued about Annabeth. "I'm sure I liked her for a while too. Like one time, years ago - we were twelve, I believe - we were talking about a bolt or something. I think we were in a moving petting zoo because it smelled like hay. Anyway, I think it was the first time she really opened up to me so that must be why I sort of remember it. It was probably a nice conversation because I really liked her since that day."

Percy blushed. How strange. Heroes blush about girls? Or maybe... Percy only blushes about Annabeth. Ella giggled. How cute!

"What do you like? About Annabeth?" Ella enquired.

Sigh. Percy smiled. Dreamily. "Judging by the few memories I have of her, I like her smile, her laugh. She always smirked and called me 'Seaweed Brain'."

"Seaweed Brain?" Ella repeated. "Exotic food? With seaweed? Like sushi? Mako, chicken teriyaki, California, tuna, yam tempura roll. Wrapped around brains?"

"No, no, no, that would be gross." Percy made a face. Tongue stuck out. "Seaweed Brain - it's just a nickname. For some reason, I liked it when she called me that." He grinned.

Expression changed. Percy looked far away. "Whenever I did something dumb, she'd laugh and kiss me. I'm pretty sure she kissed me plenty of times because of my stupidity alone." Percy stared off. Intense green eyes. Philosophical. "Wow, that must mean I'm an idiot."

"Annabeth..." Ella plucked feather. Chewed. "Is she beautiful?"

"Very." Percy was gushing now. "She's tall, tan and athletic, with curly blonde hair. Even though she rarely combs it, her hair still looks great."

"Lovely." Ella began bobbing her head. Back and forth. Rhythm. "'Her hair, her hair / Falls perfectly without her trying.'"

"Oh! I know that one! It's a song!" Percy was happy. He remembered. For once.

"Sing for Ella?" Ella requested.

Sheepish. Percy said, "I'm pretty sure that my singing voice is horrible enough to get us attacked by cannibalistic dolphins."

"Yuck. Ella doesn't like dolphins. Too squeaky. Never heard of cannibalistic dolphins. Sounds unpleasant." Ella drummed her talons.  _Tk-tk-tk-tk-tk._ "Fine. 'Her eyes, her eyes.' Annabeth's eyes? Colour of irises? Blue?"

Percy shook his head. "Nope."

"Brown?"

"Nope."

"Green?"

"Nope."

"Hazel? A between colour. 'Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.'"

"Um, about the hazel colour part, that's a nope. What was that last part again?"

"John Green."

Percy pointed at Ella. "You already asked me green."

"Never mind. Percy needs more books."

"I'm dyslexic. Books don't work out for me."

"Poor Percy.  _Horseradish:_ _Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid._  'Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them'."

"Ouch."

"Sorry. Annabeth's eyes. Black?"

"Nope."

"Gold, like Hazel?"

"What? Oh, I see. Nope."

"Violet?"

"Is that even possible?"

"Gray?"

Percy nodded. "Yep. Annabeth has gray eyes. Really deep, intelligent gray eyes."

Ella looked up. White clouds. Grey shadows. "Gray eyes.  _The Lightning Thief._ 'They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.'"

"Okay, now we're officially back to unfamiliar quotes," Percy muttered.

Ella grinned. "Annabeth is pretty. Annabeth is smart. Percy belongs to Annabeth. Annabeth belongs to Percy. Like a novel. Nicholas Sparks. 'Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.'"

Percy considered. "I guess that quote is true in a way, but it's a bit too sappy for my taste."

Ella nodded. Agreed. "True. Never mind. Not Nicholas Sparks. Still, Ella should meet Annabeth. Annabeth should meet Ella."

"Maybe one day," Percy assured. He looked away. Coastline different. "But first, this boat needs to speed up a bit. We need to make a stop in Seattle."

"Ooh!" Ella piped. "Books in Seattle. More books for Ella!"

Pleased. Ella flapped her wings. Hazel and Frank stirred. Did Ella make too much noise? Nope. Show-and-tell done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, is it possible to write in italics here? I'd appreciate the help, thank you!


	4. Coach Hedge

_Set during The Mark of Athena_

"ANNABETH CHASE! PERCY JACKSON! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

My amplified words echoed throughout the near vacant hallway. I've been hollering through this megaphone all morning. Still, there was no sign of the  _Argo II_ 's arguably most experienced half-bloods. To be frank, though I admit it pained me to say it, I was beginning to suspect that a third party, namely an evil, earthy one, was involved in their disappearance.

Nevertheless, I drove myself to continue searching.

"CHASE! JACKSON! REPORT TO ME, YOUR CHAPERONE COACH HEDGE, IMMEDIATELY!  _OR ELSE,_ I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I WILL-"

I stopped mid-shout at the thumping sound of footsteps from the staircase. Even though I barely knew that kid, I could recognize Frank Zhang's heavy, bumbling footsteps anywhere! I knew that baby-faced Roman-Chinese-Canadian feared me (understandable, right?). So if that boy dared to approach me now, he should have news.

Indeed, when Zhang saw me from the other end of the hallway, he exclaimed, "Coach! We've found them!"

Accompanied by Leo Valdez, who seemed ready to burst into laughter at any minute, Zhang rushed towards me. The son of Ares - ahem  _Mars -_ was in his usual nervous state, with a twinge of extreme embarrassment.

I raised my megaphone and directed it at Zhang's reddened face. "WHERE IS JACKSON AND CHASE?!"

The two demigods cringed at the megaphone's blare.

Leo shook his curly head then replied, "Frank found Percy and Annabeth in the pegasi stables!" With a sly, knowing smirk, the Hephaestus boy added, " _Together._ "

I scowled and lowered my megaphone. "Whaddya mean by that?"

Frank cleared his throat. Trembling, he stammered, "Er, uh, they're perfectly safe. Um, I-I found them asleep in the stables. I think th-they might have - how can I rephrase this? - spent the night there."

It took a moment for the implication to sink in.

"WHAT?!"

I didn't need a megaphone to startle Zhang and Valdez with my shouts. My deafening yell sent the two jumping straight into the air in surprise.

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT THOSE TWO, THEY-THEY..."

Frank placed his hands on my shoulders, feebly attempting to placate me. "Coach! We can't be too sure that Percy and Annabeth... Uhh... I'm sure they're too responsible to..."

Valdez shrugged, his hands fiddling with a few nuts and bolts from his toolbelt.

"I dunno - Annabeth and Percy seem to kinda lose their self-control around each other. Remember back at Camp Jupiter when the lovebirds reunited?" He reminded with a slight chuckle.

Frank glared at the other boy. "Thanks Leo. I'm sure Coach needed to hear that."

"What?! I'm just sayin' that Percy and Annabeth-" Leo began defensively.

"-It's as if you want them to get in trouble," Frank snapped, his face the exact shade of overripe strawberries. "Just because I found them sleeping peacefully-"

"-With their arms around each other," Valdez interrupted.

The Roman camper grunted exasperatedly. "Okay fine, with their arms around each other-"

"-As if they spent the whole night together-"

"Anyway," Zhang said pointedly, "It  _doesn't necessarily mean that_  they, y'know... Did the job?"

Valdez rolled his eyes. "Excuse you, according to the trashy romance novels in Cabin Ten, the stables is  _always_  the place where people get it on-"

"Gah! How can you say that?!"

"Hey! I'm simply pointing out that it happens in books!"

"Sorry to disappoint you Leo, but we're not living in the fantasies of teenage girls!"

"Whatever. Either way, it's obvious that Percy and Annabeth..."

While the two demigods bickered, I did not bother to intervene because I WAS TOO BUSY THINKING OF WAYS TO PUNISH ANNABETH AND PERCY.

 _Di immortales,_  I assumed that although Jackson wasn't exactly the brightest piece of kelp in the sea, his girlfriend would be a sort of level-headed anchor in their high-profile, Aphrodite-Approved© relationship. But  _no._ Turned out that even Athena's very own daughter had her bouts of  _pure stupidity_  when she was with that aptly nicknamed Seaweed Brain.

Oh dear Lord Pan, how I epic-ly _failed_  as a chaperon! I thought it was that crazy Leo Valdez I needed to watch out for. However, it was now painfully evident that I must keep tabs on any demigods under my care with existing love lives.

... Meaning, everybody except Leo.

Good job, Gleeson. You really screwed up big time.

There was no use denying it. Two almost-seventeen-year-olds discovered snoozing one morning amid the beds of hay... This family-friendly Roman-Greek skyship trip to Europe was no longer rated PG.

Before, I avoided interfering too much with Percy and Annabeth's relationship because:

a). Certain gods would be furious if they ever broke up.

b). Contrary to popular belief, I was not  _that_ hostile, trigger-happy, mean, nosy, and generally intrusive in others' affairs.

c). They made a pretty adorable couple. Uh, I-I meant  _other satyrs_ believed that those two - Percy and Annabeth, Annabeth and Percy - were quite cute together.

But now, I had to face the consequences of being too lax with them.

No, hold up. I established concrete rules on this ship! Yes,  _Laws of the Argo II: Second Revision,_ Section Three, Paragraph 54: " _Passengers must sleep in their separate bunks, no exceptions. Those who disobey will receive a severe butt-whupping_ ".

They. Went. Against. My. Orders. It was as if they were not even aware of my rulebook!

I was about to make my way to the mess hall where I left my handy aluminum baseball bat when another thought struck me. What if Annabeth ended up preggo? A very unlikely outcome but OMZ*, if that ever happened, Lady Athena would murder me! She'd make sure that I'd get reincarnated into a particularly ugly weed that some schoolyard brats would rip to shreds.

Speaking of brats... Tartarus, perhaps the gods would decree that because I failed in my  _Argo II_ supervisor duties, my punishment would be to babysit Chase and Jackson's demi-demigod babies FOR ALL OF ETERNITY! I'd have to deal with water-squirting know-it-alls until my inevitable demise! Think about it: playing nanny to a miniature Percy Jackson, my authority constantly undermined by some black-haired, grey-eyed kid... Even  _I_  did not wish that sort of fate on anybody!

Noooooo! I was not ready to deal with any sort of offspring!

 _Gleeson, don't you think you're overreacting just a tiny bit?_ chimed the thoughtful, rational yet perpetually oppressed side of me,  _Percy and Annabeth are good kids._ _I'm sure you can rule out the possibility of babies._

 _Shut up,_ I told it.

Cute as Percy and Annabeth may be - uh, I meant that despite the fact that many  _other satyrs_ thought of Percy and Annabeth as the single most adorable couple (Helen and Paris had nothing on them), their little stables stunt was a huge no-no!

"Uh, what are you three doing in the middle of the hallway?"

My disturbing thoughts skidded to a halt. Zhang and Valdez abruptly stopped arguing. In unison, we glanced up to find Hazel, her dark curls clipped back in some old-timey hairstyle, staring at us from the stairwell.

"We found Percy and Annabeth! They're alright - they were in the pegasi stables the whole time!" Zhang exclaimed brightly, his annoyance with Leo fading at the presence of his girlfriend. Note to self: keep an eye on Zhang and Levesque as well.

Meanwhile, Hazel beamed. "That's great! I'm gonna go tell Jason and Piper the good news. Let's all meet at the mess hall for breakfast, shall we?"

The daughter of Hades - ahem  _Pluto -_ began to take the stairs to the upper deck. Suddenly, Hazel stopped in her tracks. She turned to us, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Wait a minute, the pegasi stables? What were they doing there?" she asked curiously.

Unintentionally, I glowered at the girl. Beside me, Frank Zhang's blush deepened. Leo Valdez just grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Oh my Zeus.  
> Feel free to leave any feedback, positive or negative!


	5. Octavian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I assumed Octavian performed his auguries like reading the bottom of a teacup. I prefer to believe that Octavian's auguries are more or less accurate. In this chapter, you may notice that his predictions do come true to some extent. He may be a *insert expletive here*, but he does seem to know his stuff(ing).

_Set during The Mark Of Athena_

The proof was in the stuffing.

Using my trustiest dagger, I continued ravaging through the contents of the adorable fluffy teddy bear in my hand, searching for more prophetic secrets of the universe. I needed to convince everybody to not trust the Greeks, especially if they bore gifts. Very soon, Camp Jupiter would welcome our most dangerous rivals. Earlier I warned the Senate of the awful omens I found in previous auguries but  _no_ we had to give them a  _chance._

Determined to find a sign concerning the future of the near-approaching airship's passengers, I poked my dagger around the entrails of Mr. Teddy.

Ooh, excellent! There it was! The image of a crab, indicating an enemy. I tilted my head to check if it really was a crab. When I did, it started to look a bit more like a bush, which represented new friends and fresh opportunities.

A crab it was.

After decapitating Mr. Teddy, I studied the inside of his neck. How wonderful! The cotton formed the likeness of a dragon, foreboding unforeseen changes and pure trouble... Or it could possibly be a donkey, which meant  _"b_ _e patient and optimistic"._

It had been like this for a while now. When I finally saw a sign that could support my claims for inevitable disaster, a new perspective insinuated an alternate, completely different meaning. An aircraft, representing a sudden journey, could also be perceived as a marshmallow on a stick, which symbolized camaraderie. From another angle, the face of a cliff - which predicted a shocking, terrible fall into an even more terrible abyss - turned into a treasure chest, suggesting the future discovery of valuable items.

So... From what I had gathered from this augury, the future held an adventure (awesome!) with lots of new enemies (yuck!), friends and opportunities (yay!), but at the same time there was trouble up ahead (aww!), treasure hunting (cool!) and accidental cliff-jumping (ouch!). Oh, and we should all be "patient and optimistic" too!

Ridiculous.

Frustrated, I forcefully drove my dagger through the teddy bear, ending the augury. Feeling the adrenaline rush throughout my entire body, I continued ripping it into shreds. As always, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I ran my blade through the bear's abdomen. The sound of tearing seams was music to my ears. For me, the disposal of the sacrificial stuffed toy had always been the most exhilarating part of any augury.

I recalled a precious memory from my younger days in New Rome. One night, when I six years old, I woke up in cold sweat (or was it urine from wetting my bed?) after a horrible nightmare. Clutching my teddy bear close, I shivered in the darkness alone. I remembered being so  _afraid._ So  _terrified_ that I wouldn't even go to my parents' room because the last thing I needed was my Apollo-loving parents to write another song about my... never mind. Not important. Anyway, to make a long story short, my teddy bear did not provide sufficient comfort so I ripped its head off and slashed through the stuffing with a toy knife. Then I found out I could read the future!

Yes, my childhood was unique to say the least.

Meanwhile, back to the present, instead of falling into the fire, bits of stuffing floated down onto the floor like dandelion seeds. While I thought about how I'd have to blackmail somebody into cleaning everything up later, I caught sight of something strange. Suddenly, I stopped mid-annihilation. As carefully as I could, I examined the remnant of Mr. Teddy's left arm.

A triangle. A  _perfect,_ equilateral triangle. The symbol of the unexpected.

I carefully studied the rest of the arm, scrutinizing the fabric with a keen eye. There was, with no doubt, a volcano. An omen that emotions would get out of control. Beside the volcano was a gondola, foretelling romance and travel.

Romance and travel... Well, well,  _well._ It looked like the goddess Venus was keeping an eye out as well. I wondered what role love would play in this crisis. Could the omen I read earlier about uncontrolled emotions possibly be connected to a pair of lovers? Did this mean that a clash between Greek and Romans would, in fact, result in the blossoming of new romantic relationships? Or maybe -  _just_ maybe - did this predict I would finally meet my soul-mate, a graceful creature as prophetic, charming and good-looking as myself?

"Octavian!"

A straw-haired boy stood outside the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, panting. Although I had no idea what was his name nor his cohort (Third? But he looked like a loser, so maybe the Fifth?), I specifically ordered the boy to keep an eye out for anything remotely Greek. His appearance must have meant he had something interesting to tell me.

I tossed the remains of the stuffed bear's arm into the pile of stuffing on the floor. While I wiped the stuffing off my dagger, I watched the boy's face morph into an expression of abject horror as he stared at the torn-up teddy bear cadaver.

"What is it?" I asked innocently, hiding a smirk. Even from across the temple, I could see the boy gulp.

"A flying metal ship with a dragon's face was seen in the sky. It's sailing towards New Rome," the boy explained in a tremulous voice. His eyes were glued on my dagger as I set it down.

An aircraft and a dragon. A sudden journey as well as unforeseen changes and pure trouble. Indeed, my predictions were beginning to unfold.

"Ahh yes." With three teddy bears strapped to my belt, I strode out of the temple, elbowing my messenger aside. "The Greeks are here."

...

A crowd had already begun to form down at the forum when I left the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Hovering above New Rome was a gigantic, metal Greek trireme with dozens of mechanical oars. Though it pained me to admit it, the flying vessel was quite spectacular. Sunlight reflected off its smooth bronze hull, making it gleam amidst the clear, azure sky. At the top of the mast was a magnificent dragon head breathing out tiny wisps of smoke through its nostrils. The airship was truly a masterpiece of engineering.

I instantly hated it.

As I ran down to the forum, I saw four figures climbing down a ladder dangling from the airship. Even from a distance, I could see that the tallest of the four was wearing a toga and a purple cloak, the traditional attire of a praetor. There was no doubt about it. Jason Grace, our only competent praetor, has returned with  _enemies._

When I reached the crowd, it had already parted a path for the newcomers as they approached Reyna. Leading the small group of Greek delegates was a statuesque girl with flowing blonde hair. I guessed this girl was somewhat of a Reyna counterpart for the Greeks. Behind her was Jason in all his near-intolerable golden goodness, walking side by side with two other Greeks. One was a short, curly-haired Hispanic boy who fidgeted like a caffeine-addict. The other was a lovely girl with glossy chestnut hair braided with feathers. I would have found her quite attractive if it wasn't for the atrocious Hello Kitty tank top she was wearing.

The sight of Jason, and his "swoon-worthy" trademark blond hair, induced whispers from the crowd. I could hear people voicing their wonders in hushed tones. Who were these new, foreign companions of our praetor? Vapid pre-teen girls pondered about the possibility of a romantic relationship between Jason and the pretty brunette. Others pointed out the mysterious black substance - motor oil, perhaps? - that stained the curly-haired boy's pants. However, clearly everyone was asking the same question. Has Jason completely abandoned us and sided with the Greeks, or has he returned with the most useful prisoners?

Soon the Greeks (plus Jason) were face-to-face with Reyna. Standing regally, her numerous medals proudly hanging on her chest, Reyna cleared her throat. All fell silent and Reyna turned to our returning praetor.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague," Reyna stated formally, regarding our visitors with caution, "I welcome you home. And these, your friends-"

Suddenly, the tall blonde girl rushed forward, her grey eyes blazing. There was a collective gasp among the New Romans. Many, including myself, instinctively reached for weapons that were not there. At the same time, Percy Jackson, that incorrigible son of Neptune - ahem,  _Poseidon_  - pushed his way through the crowd.

Obviously, there was something up with these two.

It only took a few seconds for them to clash, but it was enough to flood my mind with countless theories as to why they were running towards each other in the first place. They could be allies plotting to burn New Rome to the ground. They could be preparing to perform the most elaborate handshake of all time. The ax-crazy part of me dearly hoped that the girl was a Greek assassin whose life goal was to eliminate Percy Jackson.

Alas, to my immense disappointment, Percy and the Greek girl romantically leaped into each others arms. It was as if they were re-enacting the climactic scene of any Nicholas Sparks movie - though, of course, I wouldn't know because, you know, those movies were not my thing, obviously. Anyway, right there in the middle of the crowd, in front of every single citizen of New Rome - legionnaires, university students, grandmothers knitting armored mittens, pets, pooping babies, you name it -, the two of them began full-on making out.

Jason and the other Greeks stared at the passionate couple confusedly. Evidently, this sort of behavior was not abnormal for the blonde girl. To be honest, although I barely knew anything about the girl, I assumed she was the headstrong, intelligent, leader type, just like Reyna. The last thing I expected from the blonde girl - that is to say, the last thing I would expect from anyone like  _Reyna -_  was, well,  _this._  Among the New Romans, jaws dropped in total surprise. Even Reyna lost her composure and straight-up gaped at the kissing couple.

Well, then... Clearly, what we were witnessing at the moment was actually the reunion between two teenage sweethearts.

Wow. I couldn't believe a theory like that never crossed my mind.

Then to everybody's surprise, the blonde girl flung Percy over her shoulder. She slammed him down onto the stone pavement with a wondrously loud  _THUD!_  Bystanders gasped and Reyna ordered all legionnaires to hold their ground. Needless to say, I was entertained. To put things lightly, Percy Jackson was far from being my favourite person in the world. Knowing that he had a girlfriend who had no qualms about hurting him definitely gave me a bit of satisfaction.

With Percy firmly pinned down, the blonde girl spat out a threat. "If you  _ever_ leave me again, I swear to all the gods-"

"Consider me warned," Percy choked, the girl's forearm tight against his neck. "I missed you too."

 _A volcanic eruption of emotion_. At least I got that right.

Afterwards, introductions were made. Judo-flipping Blondie was revealed to be named Annabeth. The hyper Hispanic boy and Hello Kitty girl was introduced as Leo and Piper, respectively. Then, to my dismay, Reyna decided to throw a feast to welcome our visiting enemies.

"You're letting these intruders into camp?" I shoved my way to the front of the crowd. "Reyna, the security risks-"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian," Reyna said curtly, "We'll eat here in the forum."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh,  _much_  better. You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

Reyna gave me an icy look. "These are our guests. We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea." Percy smiled sarcastically, one arm wrapped around Annabeth's waist. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

 _Good idea?_ I thought,  _Maybe instead, Jackson, I should go burn your b-_

Reyna lifted her chin higher, her mouth in a tight line. "You have my orders. Go."

Inwardly, I cursed Reyna's idiocy. Inviting our enemies over to our territory for dinner? A moronic move, I'd say. Not to mention, there was a  _giant freaking airship,_  most likely armed with all sorts of ballistic goodies,levitating above our very heads _._  Godsdammit, how I wished to be praetor. It was a shame how the legion selected its leaders based on fighting skills rather than their dedication to this fair city.

Unfortunately, I supposed right now all I could do was, indeed, burn my bears. Hopefully, Fortuna would be kind enough to show me that our Greek "friends" were truly evil and must be terminated.

I could not help but glower at Percy and his equally detestable girlfriend. Suddenly it struck me. Maybe Fortuna was already being kind. I realized a couple of my predictions have already came true and it seemed that they all revolved around New Rome's foes.  _Uncontrolled emotions. An enemy. The unexpected. Romance._

I walked back to the temple, chuckling to myself as I recalled the other results of my augury. Sure, there were some nice signs - friendship, adventure, treasure hunting, all that fluff. On the other hand, there were some terrible omens too. Deliciously terrible future hardships for those fellas.

How could I be so sure? The proof was all in the stuffing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this chapter was SUPER fun to write, I got a little too into Octavian's POV. Hopefully I won't end up as a slightly psychopathic teddy-bear-torturer after this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm pretty new to AO3 so I'm not familiar with the reader feedback system here. If you have any comments, requests or suggestions, please don't hesitate to tell me!


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